Introduction
The Untethered Soul is a book about liberation from the limited and constricting perspective of the ego-self. The author, Michael Singer, uses a combination of Eastern wisdom traditions and modern psychology, expressing how we can let go of our self-imposed limitations and awaken to our true nature as unlimited beings.
On a trip to visit a friend, I was first recommended this book during a conversation about some of the more existential fears I had. The recommendation and conversation stuck with me, although I didn’t revisit the book for a while, but I’m glad that I did. I’ve found others who’ve read this book, and it makes for a great conversation.
Initially, I found it hard to get through, but as I went along I realized the author was asking some important questions that are usually not asked in society.
Summary
The Untethered Soul is a book about liberation from the self-imposed limitations of the ego-mind. It is a journey of self-awakening and self-discovery that leads to true freedom. The book offers advice and guidance on how to let go of the past, release attachments, and live in the present moment.
There are three parts: "The Ego," "The Journey," and "The Path."
In the first part, Singer explores the nature of the ego and its role in creating suffering. He then outlines the journey of self-awakening and discusses the various stages of growth that we experience as we move towards liberation. In the last section, he provides practical advice for living an untethered life.
Habits and Pain
If you are avoiding pain, you are letting pain run your life. And the clever solutions we develop to avoid our problems actually help us avoid those feelings - in reality they make us keep these problems closer to us than ever.
Pain is a chemical response to an emotion. Like any emotion, it needs to be released. We should not undermine the stress-response cycle and its process. We have trivialized the idea in the past. But the result only creates more pain.
By avoiding our emotions, we are avoiding a key step in the human body’s strategy for processing challenges.
Emotions
The key aspect of human emotions is that they help us address stressful circumstances. When we feel an emotion, it is our body’s way of helping us to cope with a difficult situation.
There is something important that happens when we are sad, angry, or ashamed. And by avoiding these feelings, we are avoiding a key step in the human body's strategy to process stressful situations and their challenges.
By avoiding uncomfortable feelings, we have trained ourselves to become obsessed with the psychological drama of our interpersonal problems. Emotions don’t come out of nowhere. And by avoiding them, we are avoiding a key step in the human body’s strategy to handle stress.
Evaluation
Michael Singer's book, the Untethered Soul, has made a good impression on me. I like the points about habits and pain. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in exploring the wellness path of self-awakening.
Overall, I found this to be an insightful and helpful book. It was especially useful in helping me to understand the ego and its role in causing suffering.
The only critique I can think of is if you’re second guessing this title; I recall feeling apprehensive about it too, like it was going to be some new age woo-woo type thing. People have told me the same thing. But those same people agree it was worth the read. If you're worried about the book being right for you, it probably is!
Conclusion
The brain is our most powerful resource. We should use more of it for good work instead of avoiding pain.
The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer is all about the ego and how to move beyond. If you understand what the ego is, how it works—and what drives it—you can learn to control it and move beyond it.
As a follow-up, if are looking for more meaning in your work—and to be more effective in your career—then I also recommend his audio book The Untethered Soul at Work, which shows you how to apply the lessons from the book to your job.